Getting Through Long Flights

We've all been there.  Bored out of our minds on a flight and many hours to go.  Italy is always my long haul, at 8 or 9 hours going and usually 10 coming back.  I love flying, I don't have anxiety or anything, but I get bored after about 2 hours.  So, how can we fight the boredom?  Here's a few of my tricks.

1)  Coloring books.  Yes, coloring books.  It sounds silly, but these are a great way to get through a long flight! Before a trip, I usually make a stop at the store and pick up a Disney or Barbie coloring book and a new pack of crayons.  I love to draw and color and it's nice to be able to get lost in a nostalgic childhood activity for a while.  I never get any weird looks for being an adult with a Barbie coloring book, but even if I did, let them look!  Because in the end, you're the one who's entertained, and they're the ones wishing they brought crayons too!

2)  Books.  I'm an avid reader, and plane time is a great time to catch up on my reading.  If you've been busy with work or school and would like to get lost in a book but haven't had the time, this is it!  I tend to read classics on flights, like The Moonstone, or She and I have no idea why lol it just became a thing I do.  This is also a great time to look over travel books and pick out what you want to see, or study maps a little bit, which is something I always do

3)  Sleep...if you can sleep.  I can never sleep on outgoing flights (going to my vacation destination I mean) because I am usually too excited.  I have tried everything to put myself to sleep including Melatonin, staying up all night the night before the flight (bad idea- I looked a mess and still didn't sleep!), getting too much sleep before a flight (you know how sometimes too much sleep makes you tired?), booze on the plane, booze before the plane, nothing works!  However, on returning flights (going home) I usually sleep the entire way!  I have no explanation for this.  Sleep is probably the best way to get through the flight if you can manage to go out

4)  The in-flight movies.  This sounds obvious, but honestly, I never used to really pay attention to these until I realized that if you watched about 2 of them your flight would be nearly over.  Give them a try if you haven't!

5)  Drawing/writing.  I never travel without a notebook for doodles and poems.  I get the most inspiration when I am forced to stay in one place and think, so a lot of my writing is done on planes

6)  Skincare.  I'm a beauty junkie, so I'm going to do a separate post on this, but protecting your skin against the gross plane air can definitely be time consuming, relaxing, and a nice distraction